Bike Parking IJboulevard, Underground Bicycle Park, Van Hattum en Blankevoort – Gemeente Amsterdam building, Dutch architecture

Bike Parking IJboulevard Amsterdam: Underground Bicycle Park

12 April 2023

Design: VenhoevenCS architecture+urbanism

Location: De Ruijterkade, Amsterdam, North-Holland, The Netherlands

Bike Parking IJboulevard Amsterdam underground

Photos by Ossip van Duivenbode, unless stated otherwise

VenhoevenCS-led team creates IJboulevard – underwater bike parking and new public space in the heart of Amsterdam

Design:

– The underwater parking for over 4,000 bicycles is a ‘plug-in’ for Amsterdam Central Station, a multi-modal transport hub – making people’s journeys as simple and hassle free as possible

– It delivers new public space: bringing bicycles underground to free up space at street level whilst providing a new ‘living room’ for the city, a panoramic pedestrian boulevard on the river IJ

– The unique underwater design provides a habitat for aquatic life to feed and shelter

Bike Parking IJboulevard Amsterdam underground

Bike Parking IJboulevard Amsterdam Underground Bicycle Park News

A design team led by VenhoevenCS architecture+urbanism – with Van Hattum en Blankevoort and DS Landscape architects – has created IJboulevard, a new underwater bike parking facility in the heart of Amsterdam. Opening to the public on 22 February 2023, the innovative project makes a significant contribution to the city, transforming the area to create a unique experience for cyclists whilst providing new public space and improving the city’s infrastructure. Sited in a complex urban location next to Amsterdam Central Station – where trains, trams, buses, taxis, pedestrians and cyclists converge – and the river IJ, the underwater facility has space for over 4,000 bicycles.

Bike Parking IJboulevard Amsterdam Underground Bicycle Park
photo © Topview

Priority for bicycles and pedestrians

IJboulevard offers more public space for pedestrians around the busiest transportation hub in the city. The design includes 6,000 m2 of new public space above ground, created by storing bicycles underwater. The roof of the parking facility forms the new boulevard along the river IJ, creating a vibrant new walkway and gathering space for residents and visitors, with seating areas and views of the river IJ.

Bike Parking IJboulevard Amsterdam underground

“IJboulevard builds on the VenhoevenCS tradition of turning functional infrastructural features into seductive spaces that contribute to urban culture.” – Danny Esselman, architect-director VenhoevenCS

Bike Parking IJboulevard Amsterdam underground

Structural and visual connection

The interior of IJboulevard features a design characterised by flowing lines and detailed rounded shapes, creating a warm and inviting aesthetic. The use of wooden walls, subtle lighting, and a calm color palette aid in clarity and orientation.

The entrances are finished with the same dark gray natural stone as the boulevard, providing a seamless transition between the interior and exterior spaces. The stairwells with large glass surfaces allow natural daylight in and provide a view of the parking facility from the pedestrian boulevard. The well-lit, column-free design, long sightlines and prominent position of the manager’s office will contribute to a sense of safety for users.

Bike Parking IJboulevard Amsterdam underground

Sustainable and nature inclusive

IJboulevard is a sustainable and eco-friendly design that integrates low-energy consumption, sustainable materials, and features that promote biodiversity. It also incorporates features that mimic natural habitats to promote biodiversity and support aquatic life. The design includes elements such as bio huts, wood, coconut mats, and porous concrete between the underwater pile supports to provide shelter and surfaces for aquatic plants to grow, with the aim of improving the overall health of the river.

Bike Parking IJboulevard Amsterdam underground

IJboulevard was awarded the prestigious Schreuders Prize in 2022 – the prize for innovative underground construction projects – by the Centrum Ondergronds Bouwen (Center for Underground Construction).

Bike Parking IJboulevard Amsterdam Bicycle Park – Building Information

Bike Parking IJboulevard
Location: De Ruijterkade, Amsterdam NL
Program: Stalling voor 4.000 fietsen, aanvaarbescherming, boulevard
Client: Van Hattum en Blankevoort – Gemeente Amsterdam
Architecture: VenhoevenCS architecture+urbanism (Danny Esselman, Max Fleer)

Design-completion: 2019-2023
GFA: 4.270 m2

Contractor: Van Hattum en Blankevoort
Landscape design: DS Landschapsarchitecten
Structural Engineer: VolkerWessels Infra Competence Centre
MEP: Homij Technische Installaties
Building physics: Buro Bouwfysica
Street layout: Gemeente Amsterdam
Wayfinding, pedestrian flow: Royal Haskoning DHV

Photos: Ossip van Duivenbode

IJboulevard Amsterdam Underground Bicycle Park
photo © Danny Esselman

VenhoevenCS architecture+urbanism
Hoogte Kadijk 143F15 1018 BH Amsterdam (NL)
E info@venhoevencs.nl
W www.venhoevencs.nl

Bike Parking IJboulevard Amsterdam: Underground Bicycle Park, North-Holland images / information received 120423 from VenhoevenCS architecture+urbanism

Location: Amsterdam, The Netherlands, western Europe

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